Winter Trio - Sure-lox Puzzle

I enjoy doing puzzles with snowy scenes. I think that oldie from my childhood set my love for them. You can read more about it one HERE.

Several years ago I picked up this one by Sure-Lox called Winter Trio from a local store. This was my second time doing it and I enjoyed it very much. It is not the easiest to do, especially when not pre-sorting the pieces, but one never gets the feeling of going nowhere. I like to puzzle that way : challenging, but achieving.

Lovely painting here of this magnificent buck...

The pieces fit together well, although I did find that several would fit, and many more would nearly fit, into incorrect places. I did have to double check many and found several incorrectly placed.

However, I was more alarmed by the box, which is made of very flimsy, thin card, and the tape that just peeled right off and would not stick down anymore. I did re-tape it, but it is a good thing I store my puzzles in zip locked bags as a rule.

This one is a keeper and is going straight back to join the others in the cupboard to be enjoyed again in the future.

Winter Snow Fun

This stamp set -  Winter Wonderland by Penny Black - just begged to be made into a slider card!

I coloured the images with coloured pencils and trimmed the little hedgehog out with scissors. The embossed snowflakes were done with the 'old style' Fiskars embossing plates. I find these very useful for adding selective embossing, exactly where I want them to be. I also drew in more snowflakes to match the flakes in the stamp to complete the image.

I cut the slot for the slider with the Silhouette Cameo. As a weight I used a dime. I like that it is smaller and thinner than a penny. I trimmed the foam to fit the slider nicely - snug enough to add support to the cardstock but wide enough to allow the dime to slide easily. I attached the coin to the little hedgehog image with foam tape. 

The little hedgehog now slides and sometime swirls down the slope. Every time it goes down the bank it ends up differently at the bottom. Which I think is pretty true to life. I must be a big kid but I have sent the little fella down many many times...hehe

On the inside is a bunny friend who ended tummy first in the snow... leaving lots of space for a message...or even a short winter poem!

I added little spots of glitter glue snowflakes on the outside and inside of the card .

The card turned out to be most enjoyable to make...and the critters are very cute indeed. I hope the little ones this card is intended for, will enjoy watching them have a little snow fun.

Last year I used the robins from this stamp set to make decorations for the tree - Tree Decor Wood Slices

Let the snow fun begin!

3 D Snowflake - Totally Regal

I started crocheting a collection of 12 3D snowflakes back in January of 2015. My plan was to make one snowflake a month finishing up the collection in December. All went well with the plan, till the end of May. At that point there was just too much else happening in my life and I was not able to keep it up. Family concerns were more important and I took time to adjust priorities.

It's with pleasure that I returned to my 3D snowflakes this week! I'm using patterns from this book - Dimensional Snowflakes - that I bought from Annie's Craft Store

So here is the 6th snowflake in the collection : "Totally Regal"

The dimension is more visible here -

I perch the flake onto wooden blocks when gluing the 3 pieces together. I find it much more convenient than trying to hold it in my hand. Here is the first snowflake's post, showing how I starch and shape these beauties.

It's good to get back on track with these and I hope I can wrap this collection up this season. I was thinking how pretty the parts of these flakes will be for making 'flat' flakes too. hmmm...

Now I need to find more or larger storage for my collection, as the current holder is full. What a delightful 'problem' to have!

Happy autumn to all of you!

Wintry Penguin Greetings!

I like to send a friendly card with a note or letter. Somehow it seems to that it makes mail just that little 'happier' Like this cute little penguin. Won't your day be just a little warmer were you to pull this from an envelope?
Let's spread the warmth around, with the quick to cut files from Designs on Cloud 9 this card came together in no time at all. The waiting time was all for the glitter glue to dry!

The dimension shows up a little more on this picture. I attached the snowflakes with sticky dots and the snowflakes and sentiment stamps are by Stampendous, which I picked up from my local Michaels store.

It would be fun to whip up a gift set of these adorable little penguins.

Dimensional Snowflakes - Crochet

Yup, I'm still at it and will be for a while yet : crocheting snowflakes. Especially since I found this book : "Dimensional Snowflakes" by Jo Ann Maxwell at Annie's Craft Store. 12 beautiful looking crocheting goodness snowflakes!

Naturally I had to try it straight away - I even started with Number 1 - I think it turned out really pretty!

I did my usual pinning it out and 'starching' it. This is the center piece.

And the slightly smaller pieces I pinned and shaped at a 90 degree angle (as per the instructions in the book btw) I made a little fold able board covered in wax paper. 

When dry you stick the 2 folded pieces onto the center flat flake. Add a hanger, and glitter/beads/bling if you like and you're all done!

Until the tree is up, I think I'll just store my dimensional flake in this fella's hat!

Whooot!

Snowflake Box Cards

It must be winter, considering all the snowflakes around here...

I made these last week - where did the time go that I only get to post this now?!?

I used another cut files from the SVG Cuts ' Christmas Box Cards Set. Scroll down on the Cards Page to see a couple of the other cards included in this set.

Seen front and back. The 'Merry Christmas' stamp is from the Bo Bunny 'Sentiments Stamps' Set. The longer sentiment stamp is no longer available.

I covered some flakes with sparkly embossing powders and to some I added some glitter glue.

The snowflake patterned vellum is from an old book of printed vellum by Paper Pizzaz. I thought it would would add another dimension to the multi layer card.

I really like how the light shines through the vellum, showing off the snowflake.

A variety of sequins in different shades of blue added the final touch.

Sadly I feel like I'm fast running out of time... to do all the things I would like to do. I'm SURE there must be less hours in a day during November and December...

Snowflake Re-Run

Yes, much better. Now I like the snowflake!

Here they are side by side. The difference is quite big I think. Event the colour, which doesn't show up that much on the pictures. But the one on the right is a brighter white than the other.
The difference? The fuzzy flake on the left is a 100% polyester thread and the cleaner on on the right is 100% cotton. It's that simple...

Remember you can find the free pattern here at Petals to Picots

Snowflakes ~ Ones That Last!

Every year I make snowflakes....several of them. Some times even lots of them. Yet my collection hardly grows. They make such great gifts you see. So easy to slip into a Christmas card, just as a little something extra.

Besides, that way I get to make some every year, without getting snowballed by a pile of snowflakes.

Win-win.

Yesterday I made this one that I found on Petals To Picots

It is such a pretty design...but ugh! Look at that yarn! All fluffy and yucky! It was the first ball my hand fell on, and while it is fine to work with I do NOT like the snowflake result!

I did what I usually do with the snowflakes :

Pin them out on cardboard (covered with wax paper) or some packing foam. Or as in this case a used foam plate. I then paint it with a mix of PVA glue and water. Almost half half, with the bigger half  (LOL) being glue. ~ That brush looks icky, but it is just a clean -retired- oil painting brush.

The yarn looked just fine then...but below you can see more of the fuzzies when I pulled it off. What I do like about the water & glue mixture is that although it stiffens the item so that it holds the shaped you pinned it into, it remains flexible and fairly soft to the touch.

Here is a comparison to one (of only two) of the flakes that remained from last year. See what I mean about the difference in yarn?

I do not like it. Not even a little bit. I shall have to remake this one. I LIKE the pattern! -and you can find it here-

 Hopefully tonight!